Unheald and Uphold
by Cain Axer
Summary: Alexandria has returned to peace, but for how long? A bewitching mirror, a book of secrets, a puppet master back from the dead.
1. Through The Never

(Disclaimer) I do not own Final Fantasy!! Do not sue me because you will end up with less money then you already have! For I am poor and lawyers are expensive!!  
  
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--Takes place after the destruction of the Iifa tree and every one is back snuggly homes trying to get things back to gather--  
  
Destruction. Heavy, dark smoke filled the once crystal air, even two weeks after the horrible incident. But is was fading after time. No one wanted to go near the place. Rubble everywhere, the leaves of the tree were cinged. Some disintegrated, some just brown from lack of sweet nutreance. But the tree was no doubt, dead. Somewhere...buried beneath its layers of roots, rubble, and death, lied the body of Kuja.  
  
Kuja...finally dead? Only time would tell. Some of the people ranting victory in the streets say he chose his own death. Some say he couldn't live with himself for seeing he was wrong, so committed suicide. So many possibilities, but which one? No one cared. He was dead and now everyone could try and get their lives back together.  
  
But under the rubble...all the mounds, is a pale hand. Scratched, burnt, bruised, and dirtied, but a hand none the less. A gush of crystal wind comes from the east, and a twig rolls under the hand. The wind stops and silence is all that is heard. Except the hand. For you see the frail hand twitch...and you hear it snap the twig... 


	2. That Thing That Should Not Be

(Disclaimer) I do not own Final Fantasy!! Do not sue me because you will end up with less money then you already have! For I am poor and lawyers are expensive!!  
  
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The golden sun rose from the east and woke the joyous, but still grief stricken, people of Alexandria. The birds finally came back and decided to sing the people on with their hope. The women gathered the rest of their belongings off of the distorted streets, as the men worked to restore Alexandria to its former glory.  
  
Zidane, now a Knight, looked down from the castle and upon the people. He saved them, every one of them. He took in a deep breath and let the air flow into his lungs and held it there. After a few seconds, he let it out carefully. With a delicate smile across his face he turned on his heel and walked out of his lavish room.  
  
After a few quick steps down the long, cobble stoned hall; Steiner confronted him. Scratching his head and tossing a strand of long, amber hair to the side, he looked up at the armored man and gave a cheesy smile.  
  
"Hey Rusty! What cah up to?" Steiner frowned and slapped his armored hand to his helmet.  
  
"I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory." Steiner cringed at the thought of being called his nickname again. All the small boy did was bust out in a fit of laughter. Only causing Steiner to let his head fall in surrender and sigh. Seeing this Zidane let his hands fly to Steiners helmet and pull the mask over his face. Running off and screaming "Rusty!" all the way down the hall also.  
  
**************  
  
The tall, gray mouse was out and about the town's folk helping them in any means. Running errands for one family, helping fix a roof for another. Telling a story to a few children, and just being there as a friend. She started to love this race and this town. Although in hideous blunder, she felt at home almost. After spending all morning tending to the towns people, Freya decided to talk a long walk a clear her mind of the past.  
  
**My beloved Bermecia...how I long to touch your walls once again. You haven't stopped raining since that monster invaded you and raped you of your precious life that you once upheld. Why oh why did this have to happen to you...**  
  
The land changed as she carried on. She saw how rubble turned into cool, emerald grass. She smiled as she saw the birds chirp their happy song, not a care in the wicked world. Her eyes wandered to some of the crystal streams that wound its way down the hillside and stop at a lake. Ah, how beautiful Gaia is once she finally had a well-deserved chance to look at it. So many things have taken up her life, and she never had time to just...Live.  
  
**Why did I not take time to breathe in such lavish sets? Am I that preoccupied? Am I that taken with my work to not look at the natural beauty that was almost destroyed? I would have never seen it then...how could I? There would be nothing. How could I have passed by such beauty that has graced this land? No more.**  
  
These thoughts passed her mind as she found a spot to place her at, to enjoy the sweet air. Taking her tattered and dusty hat off and laying it beside her, she let her hand ruffle her hair a bit. Closing her eyes she let all that she knew wander off onto the far lands. Welcome to come back, but unwelcome to let foreigners to tag along ever so silently. Her eyelids reflected faint, pastel colors. She enjoyed every one of them. Only happiness was found in the air, death and destruction still lay, yes. But the storm was over. Only time would tell if things would stay on a steady pace.  
  
The wind was coming in from the east and blew her platum hair around her face; he sniffed the air to smell the sweet nectar.  
  
**This air...the east..**.  
  
Freya jumped up in a sharp bolt. As her eyes looked around to where the wind was coming from, she stood on her toes to get a better sent.  
  
**The Iifa tree...its dead I know this...I saw it die...this isn't right...**  
  
She couldn't get the full sent she was looking for. She looked frantically around to find a tall tree and spotted one about fifty feet away. Lunging at the tree with hat and spear in hand she climbed it as fast as her hands would let her. She gripped the highest branch and let her face fall into the wind. Closing her eyes and almost tasting the wound that was quite violent, she knew something was afoot.  
  
**Kuja...** 


	3. For Whom The Bell Tolls

(Disclaimer) I do not own Final Fantasy!! Do not sue me because you will end up with less money then you already have! For I am poor and lawyers are expensive!!  
  
************* The violent wind kept comming from the west. The Iifa tree was dead indeed, but it head a life embeaded in its branches. That figure was alive and slowly crawling its way out into the open. The branches crunched and fell beneth the tattered figure, only adding more strain to the frail form. Hands bleeding from grabbing onto anithing that would hold still to help pull himself up.  
  
After hours which seemed like an eternity, deathly like man made his way to Gaia's surface and collapsed ontop of all the dead branches. Breathing heavely, the man tried to life his head, but no avial. The man was Kuja...and sure enough, alive. His clothing was torn into tiny pieces and his hair was tossled. Blood covered his fragile body and his once icy eyes, once filled with life, were now dim.  
  
Kuja couls feel his essence slip and come back with each heay, smoke filled breath he took. He tried to grip anithing near just to have some reassurance that he was still alive. The crule wind returned. The silent man cringed wehn he felt the wind dance upon his back. He pulled one hand disjointedly to his side and tried to push himself off of the cold death that he lied upon for mear minuets.  
  
After taking in a shaky breath, in one sharp movement he pushed himself into a sitting position angins a huge root. He let his head fall back and hit the cinged root and let his eyes detatch themselves from the bottem lid. With a grown of pain he pulled his head down to look at how injured he was.  
  
Hidious, he thought himself completely hidious. He was tattered, bruised, gashed, burnt, scratched, and out right broken.  
  
**...ugh...broken...like one of...aurg...my mages...**  
  
The wind returned once again, only to play with him. The crystal wind danced upon his face and upon his shoulders, almost as if it would whisper in his ear, a story of what it has seen. Again taking in another breath, Kuja coughed untill blood dribbled down his dirty face.  
  
"...Leave me...LEAVE ME BE!!" Not knowing he had the power to scream that, the wind silenced and left. Kuja's eyes wandered around on what he had just done. But he used all his power when he Tranced didn't he? He's broken...then how could he? 


	4. Sad But True

(Disclaimer) I do not own Final Fantasy!! Do not sue me because you will end up with less money then you already have! For I am poor and lawyers are expensive!!  
  
**********  
  
It seems to be a hopeless day for relax station as Freya raced threw the streets of the torn Alexandria. Running into people every couple of steps her mind collided with so many thought of fail that she couldn't' handle on her own.  
  
Finally making it to the castle moat, out of breath she told the guard to hurry to the other slid. The guard did as he was told and paddled into the clear blue water. Nothing but five feet from the side, Freya leaped onto the ground and with all her might ran to the castle doors and burst threw. As soon as the doors were open she almost collapsed but threw her spear to the ground.  
  
"LIFE IS UPON THE EAST!" Freya screamed with all her might that her lungs could tolerate.  
  
Vivi was the one at the end of the hall and pure fear struck the shadowed figure. Vivi's small hands started to quiver and grab at his shoulders.  
  
Zidane heard the faint call in the grand kitchen and turned on his heel, dropping the few rolls that he stuffed himself with. His tale between his legs, he rampaged threw the halls and leapt down the velvet covered stares. Some of the painting the hung on the large walls almost flew off of them because of Zidane's speeding. Seeing Freya at the end of the hall he ran to her and tripped over his own feet. Heaving for air he asked the frantic mouse like creature what was wrong.  
  
"Freya...*huff puff*... what the hell is going on?!" Zidane gathered himself up and rose only to grab upon the nearest thing to keep him from falling. His honey blond hair hid his face and Freya couldn't get a good look at his vast expression. The world seem to spin in front of him, he had a good idea of what was wrong.  
  
"The Iifa tree..." That was all Zidane needed to know. His head darted up and his eyes were as big as a fist. Gasping for the air that seemed to not be there, he grabbed for Freya's jacket.  
  
"We killed him! There's no way in hell!" Zidanes eyes were frantic and looked for a joke in Freya's eyes, but found only truth. For once he wanted to be lied to. Freya's eyes shown down and mumbled her apologies. Zidane let go of her and backed up shaking his head. "No no no no no." Zidane turned a bit and fell against red tapestry that held Garnets name in gold embroidery.  
  
Freya picked up her illuminating spear from the ground with one shaky hand and took a huge breath only to reassure herself that she was still alive and was not dreaming. "...There is a life somewhere around the Iifa tree...there is no mistaking it...we need to get our defenses up again and meet in the main hall..." Freya couldn't believe that she was saying those words. She felt a wave of sharp, pain like chills go up her spine and she cringed. 


End file.
